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Berate and Rate
People have berated things—and each other—for time immemorial, but the word berate has only been known to English users since the mid-1500s. Before that, if you wanted to angrily rebuke, say, an outlaw for impersonating a fortune teller in order to steal the golden hubcaps off your royal carriage, you would rate them. Berate simply added the prefix be- to the existing verb rate, which is distinct from the rate that means “to value or esteem.” While the more familiar rate comes ultimately from Latin, the origins of the less common “scolding” rate are obscure.
Synonyms
Examples of berate in a Sentence
Vegard Skirbekk, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
The lawsuit also describes Tabak allegedly berating D’Souza at a large 17 August 2023 meeting of NIH institute and center directors.
—Bymeredith Wadman, science.org, 4 Nov. 2024
Gerda’s clearest memory of that night: Do berating another Voice of OC reporter to the point that Do’s supporters had to hold him back.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
And being asked for advice certainly doesn’t entitle anyone to insult, berate or belittle.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for berate 
Dictionary Entries Near berate
Cite this Entry
“Berate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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berate
verb
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